Letters to Naruto
by Bishie Huntress
Summary: Sasuke, in a moment of something akin to loneliness, writes Naruto a letter, with every intention of destroying it. But does he?
1. First Letter

_Pause for disclaimer: Image courtesy of "Simon Howden" / "FreeDigitalPhotos . net"_

**Letters To Naruto**

_You're the only person I could really talk to openly. I thought you, at least, would understand why I had to go. But no. You had to go and fight me! Do you know what using that power _**does** _to me? I thought I would go insane! It makes you feel invincible as adrenaline pours through your veins. It's like being drunk and free-falling off a cliff a thousand feet high. I couldn't… There was no way for me to stop myself. I had no idea what I was getting into. Before I knew it, my fist had gone through your chest. I'm still not sure if it's the memory of that, or the overwhelming _**power**_ that erupted from you as a result, that makes me nauseous even now. I had no idea you harbored something so dark inside you._

_It's a good thing you will never get this letter. How pathetic would you think me, writing home after leaving and breaking our bond? You know, even if I had wanted to come back with you that day, I wouldn't have been able to let myself. Too much pride, I think. It runs in the family. Unfortunately. Well, whatever. This is stupid, so I'm going to go burn this now._

Sasuke laid down his pen, looking over the "letter" with a lot of dissatisfaction. Poorly written, rambling, emotional… the list of imperfections went on.

Still, as he picked it up, he found he couldn't just throw it into the fire. It would be like throwing a piece of himself away, and he'd lost so many pieces lately. He felt empty enough.

It was with this whimsical thought that he folded the sheet of paper and placed it in an envelope. Not really wanting it to reach its intended recipient, he simply addressed it: "To You".

"Going somewhere?" Kabuto asked as Sasuke stalked past him. The boy paused in the dimly lit hallway.

"Out," was all he said.

"Don't go too far. We wouldn't want to lose you when you've only just arrived."

The medic's faintly mocking tone set Sasuke's teeth on edge, but he just gritted them and kept on walking.

He leapt and ran through the forest until he came across a nearby village. The village was a decent size, and Sasuke figured it was no accident that Orochimaru's lair was so close by.

It was easy enough to find the postal service. A large sign hung outside the little building, proclaiming its purpose, with prices listed below. Sasuke realized he hadn't brought any money, but then he figured it didn't really matter since he didn't have an address, either.

Walking up to one of the outdoor mailboxes, he glanced around somewhat self-consciously without seeming to, and slipped the letter quickly through the slot.

Walking away, Sasuke sighed, a little relieved and a little disappointed in knowing that Naruto would never get the letter.

Still, he was glad he hadn't burned it.

_**End I**_

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><p><strong>an:<strong> Please tell me what you think! Is it interesting? Dumb? Boring? Curious? I'd really like to know!


	2. Second Letter

_Do you hate me now? I hope you do. I still wake up with the feel of your blood on my hands. The visceral sensation of your tearing flesh crawls over me until I can't take it anymore and I stand, wet hands spattering shaking drops of crimson across the floor as I attempt to light a lantern. It is not until the lamp is turned all the way up that I realize it is only my memory that soaks my hands in blood. Again and again. I drop my head into my hands, ignoring the sensation of liquid running down my arms, and try, once again, not to shudder as spongy, meaty pieces of your body squish from beneath my fingernails into my hair. It takes me a few hours to stop the shaking. Would you believe I'm getting better?_

_I wonder if I am writing to a ghost._

_Perhaps I am the ghost. Maybe I am simply living out the hell I've earned._

_I can feel myself getting stronger. I have no responsibilities here but to train. My body must be perfect, after all._

_Kabuto has left me alone thus far, but he grows bolder. He hints at ways to make me stronger, to increase my capabilities. When all is done, I wonder who I will be. I have seen glimpses of some of his "experiments". They are disturbingly unnatural. But then, I suppose I am already that. I wonder what else they have planned for me here. At least I will have my eyes. Kabuto would not dare touch them._

The land was dark as Sasuke made his way through the trees and the grass. The moonlight reflected dimly from a paper envelope, highlighting a few smudged ink characters.

The boy could have been the wind for all the noise he made. The town was as dark as the surrounding countryside, its residents having long since retired for the night. He found the mailbox without a problem and silently slipped the letter inside, once again walking away without a backward glance.

_**End II**_


	3. Third Letter

Shaky characters were scrawled across the page with a trembling hand.

_Kabuto finally got to me. I'm not sure what he did. I think-_

The writing stopped abruptly, then continued farther down the page. The handwriting was even more illegible than before.

_Everything feels so - _here, a few words were scratched out _- damn, fucking snakes ate Sensei's dogs. I had to do it! You don't know what it's like!_

Nonsensical characters and words combined into an incoherent mass of confusion for a few overlapping lines before picking up again.

_- when I ate the ramen. And where were you, you fucking idiot! I know it was you! I'll defeat him and you and kill the whole damn world! And now my arm is gone. You fucking ripped it off you little piece of- _

It appeared that ink spilled across the page at this point, and any words that might have been written beyond it were blotted out by the stain.

* * *

><p>Deep in the heart of the Land of Sound, echoing through a labyrinth of underground tunnels and piercing a hidden door, screams of agony could be heard. Within the darkness of a lonely, empty cell, a boy sat in a corner, holding his knees to his chest and rocking as if he could soothe himself. Then a shudder ran through his body, and every muscle tensed as he cried out in undiluted torment. He threw his dark head back against the wall repeatedly, and new drops of blood ran down the wall behind him. Tears leaked from wide open eyes, red and black whirling in dizzying, blurred patterns. His voice, already rough from abuse, broke, and he fell to his side, sobbing helplessly.<p>

_**End III**_


	4. Interlude with The Postmaster

Dim lamplight flickered in the small room at the back of the Postmaster's building. Shelves and boxes and piles of letters surrounded the wrinkled, grey-haired man bent over the mail he was sorting.

Upon finishing his current stack of letters and packages, the old man straightened, stretching his back. The lamplight glinted off his small, round spectacles.

As he glanced around at the work he'd accomplished for the day, the Postmaster's eyes fell on a couple letters stacked on a shelf out of the way, looking strangely lonely all by themselves.

He considered them for a moment. They had no actual address on them, no town, no country, not even a name, unless "You" counted. There wasn't even postage. By all rights, he should just throw them away. He'd been busy and had forgotten the first letter, and then the second had appeared, left once again in the outdoor mailbox.

The Postmaster walked his tired legs over to the shelf and picked up the two unassuming envelopes. The front of each said simply: _To You_. The back was bare. He wondered for a moment if they were supposed to be for _him_, but decided that was pretty unlikely. Still, there was no telling who else they were for.

…Unless it said inside the letter.

_No!_ The man shook his head. It was one of the highest laws in the postal service to leave a customer's privacy intact. And yet, he hesitated. The person writing the letters was hardly a paying customer. He was going to throw the letters away, anyway. And he could always say he thought they were for him.

Looking around surreptitiously, even though it was long after business hours, the old man made up his mind. Holding his breath, he ripped open the first envelope and began to read.

"_You're the only person I could really talk to openly…"_


	5. Fourth Letter

**an: **Alright, I posted this two days early for two reasons. One, the last chapter was a little late. Life has been hectic. And two, fellow author, KillerUchiha, has been having terrible writer's block with his story, "Sleepless Predator", and this was to cheer him up. Enjoy!

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><p>Crumpled papers were scattered across a dark floor. Shadows flicked and danced across the walls and ceiling, becoming a storyboard for the delusional boy on the bed.<p>

Real fires were next to impossible in the cave system, and it would defeat the idea of a "secret" lair if one were to be lit. But, as a concession to Sasuke's illness, his bed was piled high with thick blankets.

Despite being covered so well, chills still shook his feverish frame. Dark circles stared out beneath the Uchiha's glazed and unseeing eyes. His hair hung, lank and unwashed, in his face and down his neck. Cheeks sported a red, unhealthy flush, and sweat soaked his clothing.

In a rare moment of lucidity, the boy reached out a trembling hand and grasped a glass of water on a table set next to his bed. He shook so badly that he spilled nearly all the water before it touched his lips, but what he was able to drink seemed to sate his thirst. For the moment.

Alone in the dark room, feeling lonely, Sasuke rose and wrapped a couple blankets around shoulders that were far too thin. Finding some paper and a pen, he sat on the edge of his bed and pulled the table close. Shadows jumped and dove madly as the lamp tried to tip, almost succeeding before Sasuke caught it between both hands. Then, wiping his brow with the sleeve of his shirt, the dark-haired boy put pen to paper and began to write.

"_Demon Child"_

"_Monster"_

_I never really cared what the villagers called you. What do they know, the stupid, gossiping old geese. I heard enough rumors about myself, about the last Uchiha. How I must be so fortunate, or brilliant, to survive the attack that wiped out the whole clan in one night. The truth is, they know nothing. I was spared by a whim, some ephemeral thought passing through the head of the man I used to call my brother. It was a game to him, and I, a convenient toy._

_But you are different, aren't you? Something much more dangerous than I realized lies behind your sunny disposition. Something turned your blue, blue eyes as red as blood, as red as mine. And now I know you lived. I know you are training with a different teacher, a strong one, though my own has nothing but contempt for him._

_I hear them talking when they think no one is listening. They think I hide away in bed all day, sick. I have no time for illness! I do not know if I have time even to become strong enough. The man in the corner is watching me again. He does not think I see him. In truth, I cannot make out his face, but his cackling laugh sends chills across my skin. I am sure he is the mastermind behind the attacks. Day after day, ninja seek me out, attempting to kill me. Eventually, I defeat them all, but I have died thrice already. Clearly I am not strong enough._

Here, Sasuke had to stop writing for a bit as he pulled more blankets around himself. His shaking had grown worse and he almost couldn't grip the edges of his blankets. When he'd warmed up enough to slow the trembling, he picked up his pen and began again.

_Someday, I will defeat him. You'll see, you and Sakura both. I will show you my strength and you will no longer mock me with your stares of pity._

_And then, when I have proven I do not need strength _**his **_way, then I will break this bond._

_Now, though, it is time to train._

Addressing the letter in his usual way, Sasuke grabbed a nondescript blanket and wrapped it around his head and shoulders as an impromptu cloak. Slipping the letter into his shirt, and his feet into some sandals, the boy slipped through the caves and into the chill winter night.

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><p>Kabuto, noticing the dark-eyed boy leaving, made to follow. What was that kid thinking? He was feverish! If anything happened to him, Lord Orochimaru would have his head.<p>

But even as he stood, his rogue master stopped him.

"Let him go." His voice slid through the shadows. "The boy goes out to train every day."

"I worry, my lord, that he will harm your body."

Orochimaru only laughed. "Let him go," he repeated. "Either he will become stronger, or he will die. Dying will only prove him to be too weak for me, but either way, I will have what I desire: his eyes."

With a nod, Kabuto acquiesced and retired to his laboratory to check on a few experiments.

* * *

><p>In the town nearby, a shadow left a message that was destined to never reach its target.<p>

But destiny works in strange ways…

_**End IV**_


	6. Fifth Letter

As Sasuke cut through one enemy after another, he composed a letter to Naruto in his mind. He began quite politely.

_Dear Naruto,_

_How are you? I hope this finds you alive so that we may have the opportunity to finish the battle we began._

He hardly paused his mental monologue as he calmly gutted a foe.

_Are you as weak as ever? You'd better get stronger, or our fight will be over before it even begins. And I know how much you hate to lose to me._

For the briefest second, the barest corner or the Uchiha's lips curved into a smirk, but it was gone again as a head went flying.

_How is dear, little Sakura-chan? Has she given up her ridiculous feelings for me and settled for you, yet?_

Sasuke shoved his blade through the gut of another enemy, ruthlessly twisting and pulling up through ribs, the sharp edge cutting through bone as easily as if it was softened butter instead. Blood, hot and sticky, sprayed across his face, but he ignored it as savage men once again surrounded him.

_Have you had any news of _**that man**_? I'm not sure I could trust you to tell me, at this point._

An arm, then a leg, were lost, and as the nameless man fell, as Sasuke kicked out at another, he drove his blade through the man's heart and into the ground.

_I hear that you search for me, that you ask for me in every town you pass through. Don't you know how hopeless it is?_

Three kunai went flying, pinning three men to three trees by way of their throats.

_I will never return until Itachi has paid for his crimes. I cannot forgive him._

Sasuke's gaze grew sharp, intense, focused. Moving faster than his enemies, he dropped a dozen in rapid succession. None of them had so much as a chance to react, but before each one met their end, a common thought ran through their heads: _"Demon eyes!"_

_I will have my revenge on him, and then I'm coming for you, Naruto. You can't bring me back, but you will never escape me._

He moved faster, dancing through his foes. Whirling and spinning, kicking and slicing, he was like a wild dervish. Blood painted the sky around him, above him, behind him, but he was oblivious.

_One day, I will wipe that stupid grin off your face. There will be nothing left to laugh about. I will destroy everything you hold dear - your precious team, your precious village, all your _**friends**_. I will make you watch as I bring them, one by one, to their knees, begging for mercy. I will make you watch, helpless, as one by one, I kill them. It will be slow, Naruto. I want to hear their screams. I want them to cry as I take their loved ones from them. I want you helpless, hopeless, begging for it to end as I pour their hot blood down your resisting throat. You will never, _**never**_ escape me._

In some confusion, Sasuke stopped. Where was the next body? Gaining awareness of his surroundings, he realized there were no more foes. Bodies laid, mangled and mutilated and lifeless, on the field around him. Turning, emotionless once more, he stalked soundlessly past the knowing smirk on Orochimaru's face.

_**End V**_


End file.
